| Webmaster |
Catalonia
Hank Levin writes: "I am in Catalonia as per usual at this time of year. There are many different separatist groups here covering the traditional political spectrum. What is most fascinating to me is the broad culture of Catalan independence that seems to have seeped into much everyday conversation. Other than the official national buildings interspersed in the region, one would be hard-pressed to see a single Spanish flag displayed, although virtually all of the villages show a ubituitous display of Catalan flags. I have not encountered a single person who rooted for Spain against Portugal in the European soccer championships. When Portugal won, there were mini-celebrations in the bars and restaurants". Christopher Jones speaks of "Catalan nationalism that really has not been satisfied up until today. Catalonia traditionally looks north to Perpignan while Madrid is a backwater". RH:I certainly disagree with the last statement. Christopher lives near Perpignan, which is a nice little town with a Catalan tradition Madrid is an international metropolis.
Catalonia is an important region, but Americans know little about its politics.
Christopher Jones wrutes; "In the forgotten world of Catalan fascism, I
have stumbled across the story of Nosaltres Sols (We alone) a sort of uniformed
youth movement led by Daniel Cardona i Civit. Curiously this organization functioned
until the 1980s although during the thirties it became a correspondent of the
Hitler Jugend (Youth) organization and participated in a summer camp along the
Costa Brava with the HJ , under the direction of Serrallach. In fact, Catalan
fascism can be broken down into several groups: the Escamots of the Exercit
Català, a paramilitary organization run by the Badià brothers
which claimed to be the armed forces of Catalonia under President Francesc Macià;
another group around Josep Dencàs, who was accused of being paid by Mussolini;
the Nosaltres Sols formation; and finally the Moviment de Mont Salvat, a group
which venerated Parsifal and the legend of the Holy Grail, which was picked
up by Reichsführer Himmler for his SS ideology. What makes this such an
interesting subject is just how much of these black ideologies has been picked
up by today's Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, which is one of the three principal
political groups of the region and is known for its Catalanist ideology".
Christopher Jones lives near Perpignan, a nice little French town with a Catalan
tradition He now retracts his statement that Madrid is a backwater: "I
should clarify that I certainly do not think Madrid is a backwater. However,
some Catalan nationalists clearly do and look not only to Perpignan but beyond
-- to Brussels. However, Perpignan has an extremely important place in Catalan
culture as the capital of the Kingdom of Mallorca. Curiously, the old "Rosselló"
is a historical center for rightist Catalan nationalism and rightwingers in
general, like Brasillach, Cardona and Dencàs". RH: It is a historical
oddity that Perpignan should have been the capital of the island kingdom of
Mallorca. Louis XIV acquired Roussillon under the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659).
We hear a lot about Basque nationalism in France at the west end of the Pyrenees,
but very little about the Catalan nationalism at the eastern end. At the end
of the Spanish Civil War, many refugees from Catalonia were housed in what is
now the department of Pyrénées Orientales. Did the families of
many settle there?
| Webmaster |